


When the storm breaks

by Rynacue



Category: Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, Naruto
Genre: Canon Divergence, Kakashi is the Hokage, Kisame figured out the truth about itachi and is a mist nin now, More than one uchiha survived the massacre, Multi, but quite a few OCs, if naruto can have kids why can't the akatsuki, kisame's a good dad, konan is the amekage, lots of background/implied ships, naruto and sasuke are fucking around in the woods somewhere, no self insert, no slashes with OCs though, sakura was in the akatsuki, the fourth war still happened
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-11
Updated: 2018-12-03
Packaged: 2019-06-25 17:06:54
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,362
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15645168
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rynacue/pseuds/Rynacue
Summary: “It goes like this- savvy, sage, high sage, god. In some clans- there are people born a savvy, rather than becoming one through training. The born savvy of the uzumaki clan all have red hair. The born savvy of the hoshigaki clan are born as twins- one devours the other in the womb. The born savvy of the hyuuga clan all have seals on their foreheads, and are born less and less. The born savvy in the uchiha clan is always the oldest sibling. Either they keep that power- perhaps becoming sages- or their sibling takes that power for themselves.”AU in which nothing goes to plan





	1. introduction

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Confused? Me to. Look at that, we're in the same boat.

Kisame was first forced to accept it when he heard the words “shark sage” muttered in casual conversation. Since he was a sage himself, he had known the whole time, really. It was how he knew to pick her up from where he found her stranded in the rain, maybe 8 at the time. He knew she was a sage. But that train of thought didn’t bare thinking about, because she was so young- too young.  
“Princess,” He says, drawing on the nickname more for his own comfort, “Where did you hear that?” She looks at him with exasperation. For a moment, she looks so akin to her father that his heart does a little backflip.  
“I didn’t hear it anywhere. You’re the shark sage, so you know.” She says, and she’s right. He does know. But she’s still a little girl, so he doesn’t push further. 

The truth was, there weren’t many sages in the world. There had been a lot in the akatsuki- Hidan, Pein, Itachi, Sakura, hell; even Orochimaru was a sage. It was part of the reason Sakura, Itachi and himself ended up as a three man team. But that was an anomaly- and no doubt Pein’s idea. Now he couldn’t bare the thought- even his own son was a sage. A born sage. He had known from the moment he had been handed the boy, informed that he was the father and the mother had been eaten from the inside out. As soon as he heard the story, he got this sinking feeling. When he was handed the boy, he knew. A few years later when Konan came to him with a kid with suspiciously red hair hair and radial eyes, he laughed.  
“They just keep popping out of the woodwork, don’t they?” He had said. But Konan, not being a sage, didn’t know what he meant. He didn’t know how he knew, but he did. Sometimes he thought Itachi might be right- it was just the leftovers of Kaguya inside of them. Somehow. In some people, those little pieces had a stronger foothold. Those people were all connected. Siblings, in a perverted way. That's how they knew things. Well, Itachi had certainly put it better than that. But truthfully Kisame had developed a bad habit of staring at him while he talked instead of listening. 

She tapped him on the arm.  
“You’re doing it again.” She said. He laughed and ruffled her hair.  
“I’m sorry, I just got lost in thought. Sometimes that happens when you’re an old man.”  
“You’re not an old man, Dad.” She mumbled. His heart melted a little at that. He had never told her to call him Dad, he remembers actually telling her to call him uncle. She had never done so, of course. One day she decided sensei didn’t cut it and he had been ‘Dad’ ever since. When he asked, she said he was her godfather anyway so it shouldn’t matter. But the look she threw at him said that he was an idiot for asking. As far as she was concerned, he was her dad. Her little brother had followed suit. Heh, he had gotten so soft in his old age. Even this little girl could tell. He reached over and tousled her hair some more, just for her disgruntled expression.  
“You’re making me and old man. Now, did you pack up your things? We’re going tomorrow, and I know my son will pack for you if you don’t. He has his stuff to pack, you know.”  
“Ita only does that because he’s a control freak.” she mutters, but doesn’t say anything about packing her things. Which means, of course, she didn’t, and was expecting Ita to pack for her, because his son always would.  
“Ita does those things because you’re lazy and know he will do them for you.” Kisame chided. She looked away.  
“Anyways, you’re supposed to be my genin. You should act with respect.” He said. He knew full well that she would comply if he told her to outright, but he didn’t want to do that. She was never going to develop a personality if he just ordered her around all the time. Little choices like this were where the real improvement was made. When he had found her, she had been a drone with nothing more to her personality than her jutsu. Now, there was a spark to her. Once she was a little more secure in her identity, then he might start asking her things outright. The little voice in the back of his head liked to say otherwise, though.  
She sighed.  
“Then wear your headband, this time. Your proper one. Not that slashed-out thing you carry around.” She grumbled. He chuckled at that. He did carry the headband around from his rogue nin days, that was true. Sometimes he put it on- more out of habit that anything. But it’s home was on his belt, tied next to two slashed out leaf headbands and usually his official mist headband which he had been issued after being reinstated. Recently, A rain headband had found its place there as well- an official, non-slashed one. It had been Konan that had given it to him, when she had become the Kage of the Rain. He never really understood how she became Amekage- or part of the shinobi alliance. But he was pretty sure that killing Tobi had something to do with it. Sometimes, he wished she had done it sooner. Some days, when he was overtaken with grief and the whole moon-eye-fever-dream sounded nice, he wished she hadn’t done it at all. Now, though- with his kids- he didn’t have those thoughts much at all.  
“I’ll wear my proper headband.” He said, purposely reaching for one of the leaf ones. She batted his hand away.  
“You know you’re not actually gonna wear that.” She scolded at his obvious bluff. He laughed. Of course not, not Itachi’s. Never Itachi’s.  
“I know. And one day, I might just give it to you.”  
“It’s okay if I wear it?”  
“Yes, it’s fine if you wear it.” She paused for a moment, looking him in the eyes.  
“I’ve never asked you about those two headbands.” She said slowly.  
“Yes.” he agreed.  
“If you say stuff like that, I’m gonna have to ask one day.” She said.  
“Yeah, I know, Shisui.” He replied, before ruffling her hair again.

Years ago, Kisame would have never thought he would be doing something like this- taking care of a bunch of kids. He would have never thought Itachi would die of natural cause. Never thought Sakura wouldn’t. Never thought Mei would forgive him and reinstate him as a ninja of the mist. Never thought that Konan would be the Amekage. Most of all, he wouldn’t ever believe that these were all things he was satisfied with. But here he was, bringing Shisui back to the leaf along with her little brother Izuna. To Sasuke, of all people, to speak the words he couldn’t. He actually got along with Sasuke pretty well nowadays. The kid wasn’t half bad. He sometimes wondered what life would be like if he had gone through with killing his brother. Then Kisame wouldn’t have Shisui now, most likely. He would have probably died a missing nin. So in that respect, he was thankful to Sasuke. Thankful that he had allowed Kisame to hoard Shisui and Izuna away for so long. Try as he might, he couldn’t summon the anger to be mad about him calling now. After all, the Chunin exams were technically starting, and Shisui was technically a genin. Izuna was excited to see Sasuke again- the two of them had actually met, and Izuna had spent some time in Konoha. But Shisui, when informed she would be meeting an ‘older brother’, had gotten very quiet. Her expression belied her thoughts on the matter.  
Now all he had to do was pick up the redhead tomorrow and avoid Shizuma who would probably be crushed to learn he had been left out. Shizuma wasn’t really related to Kisame beyond clan- but he had someone ended up with that one, to. Not to mention the two girls Shisui had found, Sei and Dei. God, he was way too soft for comfort.  
The redhead in question was named Yahiko. Kisame had wanted to ask Konan exactly who he was, but he felt it was a loaded question. She told him he was a Uzamaki. He also had a little sister who went exclusively by Uzamaki. She hopefully wouldn’t be home right now so he didn’t have to see her eyeing him as he made off with her big brother. She had an intense vibe, despite being a little squirt. Somehow it always made him feel guilty about leaving her. But if she saw them leaving, he wouldn’t be leaving her, because she was sneaky enough to follow them at a distance until they got far enough away from the village that he couldn’t reasonably send her back. She had done it before. Little Uzamaki didn’t have rinnegan like her brother, either, so he really had no idea how she managed to be such a pain. That’s what made her adorable.  
All in all, the next few weeks were gonna be a pain in the ass at best.


	2. feathers and blood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Crows

“You have to wear the sunglasses, Yahiko.”  
“They’re uncomfortable and I don’t like them.”  
“It’s either wear the sunglasses or get those pretty purple eyes ripped out, which one do you want?”  
“Why is it always eye gouging with you, Shisui?”  
They weren’t even out of the village yet and the kids were already arguing.  
“Yahiko, wear the glasses or stay here.” Kisame said. The boy glared in his direction (or Kisame assumes, because it really is hard to tell with rinnegan), before relenting to the tinted glasses being shoved in his face.  
“I got you stylish ones.” Ita told him in a singsong voice which somehow manages to be vaguely threatening. His brilliant grin was only slightly lessened by the sharp teeth it revealed. Yahiko seemed a little more subdued by that, if only because it wasn’t Shisui who bought them. Shisui had notoriously bad taste. Uzamaki was standing in a corner, watching all of them bicker. Her bag had already been packed when Kisame had gotten there, despite him purposely not telling Yahiko that they were leaving. The little rascal had somehow manged to figure out where they were going, and was not-so-subtly reading a map of Konoha. He had locked eyes with her and promptly given up trying to talk her down. He would never admit to the number of similar fights he had lost to her before they had even begun. The voice in his head kept calling him soft, soft.  
When they finally made it out of the village, they were already two hours behind schedule and Kisame had taken four painkillers to stop his rapidly worsening headache. Shisui had accidentally activated her sharingan twice, and there had been a minor incident involving sharks. He had given Shisui sunglasses too, despite her arguing that her green eyes meant no one suspected her of being a Uchiha. Sadly, her eyes had actually been red at the time and her argument null. Izuna was just happy he didn’t have to wear sunglasses as well. His ability to not suddenly activate his sharingan on every emotion was the only thing he had that he could lord over his older sister, anyway. That and his ability to accuratly read people's emotion to disturbing detail.  
Not for the first time, Kisame wondered how he had ended up with all his dead friend's kids. Though Konan wasn’t dead, and Yahiko might be hers, and Ita was his son.  
Also, there was the fact that actually allowing them to participate in the chunin exams was a horrendous idea. That was a large contributing factor to his headache. If Shisui messed it up, people would realize exactly who she was very quickly. Shisui was many things, but she generally wasn't subtle. He was already worried about Ita- there was no hiding his heritage. His sharp teeth and pale-blue skin made his ancestry pretty undeniable. And Yahiko’s fighting style relied so much on his eyes he might not even pass. There was no way they would reveal his eyes, not in Konoha. The only reason that Kisame had agreed to take him was the fact he was a redhead, and didn’t resemble the Peins Kisame had encountered. Hopefully no one would even see his eyes, and Kisame had limited the types of elemental jutsu he could use, just to be on the safe (read: paranoid) side.  
That being said Kisame had only actually encountered Pein a couple of times. Of those times, he had only spoken to him briefly. The last time he remembered, Pein had been the one to approach him. He wasn’t technically with the Akatsuki anymore at that point, so he was scared for his life. But the other just approached him calmly. He seemed leisurely about the whole ordeal, despite Kisame's drawn back foot and obvious fighting stance. Then again, between the two there was no contest. Truthfully Kisame only knew it was Pein because of his eyes. He didn't know his true power, and he didn't want to know it. The man was a mystery, and his words only confused Kisame more.  
“Did Itachi really mean that much to you?” he had asked in that serene voice of his. Kisame gulped- it was true he had left the Akatsuki because of Itachi, but it wasn’t because he had died.  
“Yes.” He replied anyway. It wasn’t a lie. And the eye of the moon- that would be the worst lie. If Itachi could tell the truth, a liar as he was, then so could Kisame.  
“I see.” Was what he had said, but somehow his voice seemed softer, ever so slightly, blink-and-you-miss-it softer. Pein turned his head up to the sky, and as if summoned, the rain began to fall from pregnant clouds. That was the one time Kisame wondered if the man might truly be a god. Something had changed in the way he looked up at the sky, and it was calmer than ever. He seemed to know exactly what it held. Pein had been a high sage before- but now. He was resolute. Something had been lifted off his shoulders, and he was somehow more free and more powerful than ever, so much so that Kisame wondered exactly who he had killed.  
“I will not leave the Akatsuki.” He had said, and it sounded both regretful and resigned, “I will never be able to. No matter who dies.” He had told Kisame, and Kisame knew he was right. Something told him that those words weren’t an empty prophecy, but rather a premonition. Those words were bound in stone. Sometimes, as sages might, one saw things. Knew things, just as one knew another sage when they saw one. And this was one of those things. Pein had glimpsed his future and whatever it held was just as inevitable as he had been all his life, undefeated and unending.  
Pein was killed two weeks later by a ninja long assumed dead. News of Jiraiya’s death reached Kisame as well, and somehow the assurance of Pein never leaving Akatsuki became a little like a pit in his stomach. It was clear then, that he killed his old master, and he did become a god. He finally passed the status of a high sage and ascended. But he also acquired a curse. That was generally the price of power- a curse. If you killed another sage to take their power- you also became cursed. Killing other sages was the quickest way to godhood, but also the quickest way to die. There were times when people could know the exact person they needed to kill in order to become a god. Prophesied, if you will. But it was actually rather uncommon to actually go down that route. There were other ways. If Pein had simply stuck to his path, he would have remained a high sage. He may never ascend, but he also likely wouldn’t have died. Maybe had thought he was truly above things like curses and deaht, maybe he really believed in his overwhelming power. But killing the sage that trained you was a cursed thing to do, the worst and most heinous of acts a sage could commit.  
As it was, he had killed his own master, only to have said master’s old student appear from thin air and destroy him. Kisame had never asked Naruto how exactly that had worked out. Sasuke had been pretty mad about it. Afterall, he had been with Kisame and Itachi when the news arrived that the person who had given him his mangekyo was still alive. He was almost catatonic for days. When he had finally looked Kisame in the eyes, he looked like an 8 year old that had been talked into seeing a horror movie.  
“I told them that I didn’t kill him.” Was all he had said. Kisame had gotten Itachi immediately. He hadn’t known how to convince Sasuke that Naruto’s accidental death hadn’t been his fault now that Naruto was apparently alive. Hours later, Sasuke was still crying against his brother. Kisame stood outside the door, feeling useless.  
This time it was Uzumaki who pulled on his sleeve. He started a little at her touch.  
“We should stop for the night.” She said. It might as well have been a demand, because all the other kids sat down and started fighting over who would make dinner. Kisame just plopped down where he stood. He really must have been getting old, because he was exhausted. Shisui started the fire with a little puff of fire. He couldn’t help but laugh about that. The way her face scrunched up when he used that jutsu was endlessly adorable. Izuna, on the flip side, looked quite put out. He could use fire jutsu, but his real affinity was for lightning. He wasn’t good at it, but better than fire. Yahiko could use all the elements, the brat. He kept stealing elemental jutsu from the others and had almost gotten is fingers fried when he was more interested in Shisui’s hand signs than where she was aiming. She was quickly becoming too fast to watch, anyways. Even with Yahiko’s added advantage.  
“Wait, did we bring anything besides cup noodles?” Izuna whined.  
“Well, if you wanted something else, you should have gotten it, otouto.” Shusui quipped.  
“Shisui wanted to hunt.” Ita helpfully supplied, earning himself a hit across the head. Kisame was so glad for his son sometimes, if only because he didn’t Shisui get away with everything. Only most things. And he actually knew what she was up to, unlike Yahiko. Izuna was useless however, if his older sister to him to hold his tongue, he would until the end of time.  
“Hunting will waste time.” Uzumaki said, twirling a strand of red hair idly.  
“But not money, which soldier pills and other proper rations will.” Shisui remarked.  
“Not cup noodles.” Izuna replied, apparently having a change of heart.  
“You guys are too young for soldier pills.” Kisame sighed. It was the most he would give, but Shisui beamed at him. He knew she was doing it just because it melted his heart, damn her. But teaching the squirts the finer details of wilderness survival seemed like fun. Especially since he wasn’t too happy about the chunin thing. He could waste some time if he wanted, if was really what Kakashi deserved. He may be Hokage, but he was still late in informing Kisame exactly when the exams would be held. Sasuke hadn’t been much help in that either. Maybe he was picking up bad habits from his old Sensei. Maybe he hadn't known himself. Most probably, Kakashi had been late all around. Whatever the case, the more Kisame thought about it, the less he liked it. People died in those exams. Even if they were less bloody now, he didn’t want any of his kids getting hurt. And damn, they really were his kids. They made his insides do all sorts of warm annoying things. He didn't want to see any of them get so much as a scratch.  
Not to mention, when Kisame got a sinking feeling like he was now, it was usually a bad thing. 

When the cup noodles had finally been distributed and everyone had their fill (except a certain shark that didn’t want to go through their rations in one day) the kids went to bed. But the moon was bright that night, and Kisame felt restless. He paced the camp a few times, before giving in and setting barriers around the kids. A lot of barriers. Then he left, searching through the woods to find somewhere where the moon was fully visible. Something about nights like this made him feel a little wild, feral as he used to be. It didn’t make him dangerous, per say- just adventurous. He got the wild urge to wander through the night and see everything by the starlight, a compulsion he was rarely able to ignore. He finally found a clearing, where the moon could stand high and clear above him and a creek babbled in the darkness. He slipped off his shoes before wading out into the inky water. Sometimes he wondered if it was the shark in him that made him do it. Running off, that was. He had a particular talent for finding bodies of water on nights like this, so much so that Sakura started timing their missions to more dry places with the moon. It wasn’t an exact science but it worked. Then, they would follow at a distance. He thought that maybe, they got it to. The crazy, primitive wanderlust. The desire to be silent and stalk through the darkness. After all, sometimes he would find Itachi in the tops of trees on nights like this, with the birds perched all over him. Or Sakura deep in the woods, and he didn't even want to know what she met their, or on the clifftops and mountains. None of them would talk. But now, he didn’t want to be followed, even by other dubious beings as himself. If they were anything but absolutely silent, it might scare the crows.  
Sure, if he was close enough to the sea, a shark might brush past his feet. There were freshwater sharks as well, along with some dark creatures that he was pretty sure weren’t sharks at all. Those were long, grey and pockmarked with scars. Their eyes were misty and dull, and skin was slimy and thick. But that made sense- he was a shark sage.  
The crows had been around for a while, really. They had been around when Itachi was alive. Kisame had seen them on nights like these. They were big and ominous, perched close enough to see but never to reach. Over the years they had gotten closer and closer. He didn’t see them often, but sometimes he spoke to them in whispers, even if it felt wrong in the quiet night.  
“I think he would he happy for me.” Kisame whispered to the crows, because he needed to say it to someone, “I’m going all soft inside. He’d probably get a kick out of that, say I’m human after all.” The crow closet to him just cocked its head, before letting out a low caw, as if whispering back. It was only a couple feet away tonight, and he could hear the wind through its feathers. It was looking him in the eyes with scrutiny he didn't know an animal could have. Maybe they weren't crows at all.  
“I wonder why you guys stick around. You were here even before I finally found Shisui and Izuna. It can’t be nice, sticking around an old man like me.” Kisame smiled.  
“You’d love them now, Itachi.” The crow ruffles its feathers, before spreading its wings. Kisame assumed it would leave, go back to the forest edges to the countless eyes there, back to its flock. But instead, it landed on his shoulder and pressed its face against his cheek. He stifled a gasp as he felt his heart stutter. The voice in the back said something about him being a hopeless romantic and a sap, but this time he barely heard it over the soft sounds trees and rustling feathers. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No beta we die like men


	3. These things we seek with open palms

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kisame, honestly, should have known.

Kisame ended up carefully reaching up towards the crow, which jumped from his shoulder to his hand. He was so fascinated by it that he ran his hand over its feathers, before remembering that they had never come so close before. He wondered if it had been him he was keeping distant all this time, if he could have held one sooner, with its red eyes and deep black feathers. It was almost soft, silky perhaps, and something told him that most crows wouldn't have been that way. Much less that size. But he felt so happy that he didn't know what to do. He needed to get back to the kids, he needed to check on them. He really should have never left in the first place. But he couldn't bring himself to regret it now. The crow made a soft chirruping noise, and Kisame brought up both hands to cup it. Which frankly was ridiculous, and the fact he was tearing up over a crow was beyond ridiculous, but that's what he felt now. Finally he opened his hands, expecting it to fly away, but it simply returned to his shoulder. He hoped his luck would hold out as he made his way back to the camp.   


When Kisame got back to camp, Izuna was squatted next to the very edge of the barriers Kisame had set up, eyes spinning and vibrant red. His eyes were off putting in the dark. Or to be more precise, Shisui’s eyes were off putting in the dark from where they were buried in Izuna’s skull. He shifted, eyeing his invisible confines. Kisame just watched, until Izuna looked him in the eye. Kisame undid the barriers enough to let him through. The boy looked around a little wildly, before slinking up to Kisame. He was silent, preparing, before he spoke.  
“The full moon.” Was all he said. Kisame nodded at him. The crow on his shoulder nodded to.  
“Can we walk?” Izuna asked, but in a manner that told Kisame that he was assured of the answer. That kind of confidence wasn’t usual on the boy, so Kisame agreed. They set off in silence into the silver night.  
“When I was in Konoha, I dived off a cliff.” Was what he started out with, hushed. He sounded matter of fact. Kisame felt his whole body stiffen as if struck by lightning.  
“I did. I’m sorry, I just- I didn’t think I was ever going to see One-san again. I wanted to be wherever she was. That was all there was. So I jumped. From out of nowhere, this huge crow came out. It’s head was as big as I was. It picked me up and set me down. And then there was this racket, a million crows at once. They were all cawing, until I yelled at them to stop. They stopped. They tried to follow me, but I was scared of them, so they eventually left me alone. But there are always crows following us. They aren’t the same ones that tried to follow me.” Izuna took a deep breath. The crickets seemed impossibly loud as Kisame chewed on his next words.  
“There are crows around here, yes.”  
“One’s on your shoulder, Dad.” Izuna replied, looking as peeved as a nine year old could.  
“So there is.” Kisame had forgotten about that as soon as Izuna mentioned the cliff diving episode. But Izuna wasn't a sage- blessedly, wasn't a sage. He didn't sense the strangeness of the crow Kisame had brought.   
“What I’m saying, is- the crow told me something. It told me that those people who see death and embrace it before their time are special people.” Kisame didn’t want to be hearing this.  
“The crow said that I should come back when I was less scared and take a- rite? She said I could be their friend. I don’t think she was lying.” Izuna said. Kisame should tell Izuna that the crow was lying, because friends wasn’t really what he would be getting. But also, the crow really wasn’t lying. Because- they would be more than friends, they would watch over him until the day he died.   
“The crow is your familiar. One day, you will be a master sage and the crow knows that.” Kisame replied, the words tasting acidic as he said them, and knew they would be true. He hadn't known those things himself before he said them, but now he knew them to be true. Just as he knew when Pein became a god, and Shisui was was a sage.   
“What’s a sage?” Izuna asked, because unlike his sister, he didn’t have that power yet. Izuna hadn’t been the one to kill brother, only the one to watch. He had dived from a cliff at the age of five. He had cheated fate and almost died before his time. The sickest part was that people that crows loved were always fated to be killed by another person. Itachi had cheated that twice- first when he tried to die the first time, and then when Sasuke had refused to kill him. Itachi was meant to be killed by Sasuke and the crows knew it. Itachi had known because they had, which meant-  
Izuna was fated to be killed, as well. Kisame had to sit down. The crow on his shoulder was quiet. Not only was he taking Shisui, Yahiko and Itachi to be made into Chunin, Izuna and Shisui to Sasuke, but also Izuna to become savvy. Was that the reason for the crow with him? Because Izuna was chosen? Even if he didn’t take Izuna, he would still have death hanging over him. The only difference was that he would know who would kill him. He was only nine, for god’s sake. He didn’t need to know how his life would end. But if he learned from the crows, it might not have to end. How old was Itachi when he realized that Sasuke was to kill him? If he didn’t see that as set in stone, would he have done the things he did? Might he be happy in Konoha, right now, with the police force and the first Shisui and Sasuke? Kisame didn’t know, and didn’t want to know, because right now Itachi’s grave was empty next to the rolling waves of the sea, next to the little cottage they had shared with Sakura and Sasuke and Naruto. The only things that was left of him was inside sasuke’s orbital and brain. Sasuke’s own eyes were in a tube a long, long ways underground. Izuna already had those eternal mangekyo, a burden to great for a child, and now he would be a savvy for the birds that loved the living dead.   
Itachi had wanted to be cremated, specifically with the black flames of amaterasu. There were no ashes. There was nothing left but a faint wisp of smoke. The only thing Kisame had was a ring, a necklace, a headband and a crow. Some days, he wondered if he could still remember the sound of his voice. It had been smooth and low, but not a baritone. It was always even. The most pitiful thing of all was that Izuna didn’t know the sound of his voice at all, and never would. Shisui didn’t even know his name. They would never remember him reading to them at night or singing them to sleep, or the million boring, domestic things Itachi had done. It had almost been funny to watch the man to be so soft. It was even funnier to watch Sasuke become docile in response. Sakura had always said Itachi was soft.  
Itachi wasn’t soft, though. Not really. Sakura was the least soft of them all. She had been stone cold for as long as he could remember. The only person he had ever seen her be gentle to was Karin. Kisame was probably the most tender. Or at least. He was now. There had been a time when he was as sharp and frigid as Sakura. But those days were over and he happily waved them goodbye.  
“Hellooooooo earth to Dad.” Izuna called out, waving a hand in front of his face. Kisame blinked rapidly.  
“You zone out a lot, you know. I won’t ask about the crows, then, if it upsets you. Honestly, I don’t care to much.” He said, before yawning. But Kisame could see the quick glances at the trees and full moon.  
“Do whatever you need to do, Izuna. It won’t be the last full moon.” Kisame sighed. The boy looked startled.  
“It gets worse every time.”  
“I’m sure it’ll get better over time. Once you meet the crows, for sure.” He said, before heading back to the camp. He made sure to adjust the barriers so Izuna could get back in. In all honesty, he should have gone after him, but Kisame felt sick to his stomach. All he could think about was one day, Izuna being tall and dark, and coughing up his lungs piece by piece. Crow feathers mixed with blood.  
When Izuna learned who would kill him, Kisame decided he would kill the other person first. Cheating fate like that was bound to pick him up a curse, but sometimes curses were nothing more than having to deal with some more blood on your hands. Kisame could live with blood on his hands- even if it turned out to one of the little ones.  
Itachi had had five kids. The first was murder by Shisui after killing Sakura. The second was Shisui and third was Izuna. The last two were twins, Kazuki and Karasu. They hadn’t even been born when Sakura was killed and Shisui and Izuna taken by their elder brother. They had to be pulled out of her dead body. By some miracle, they had lived. They would be about four now. More than likely- it was one of them that was destined to kill Izuna. Kisame would feel bad about it, but they had been cursed to begin with. They didn’t know it, but they lived half-lives.  
When they had been cut from their mother’s womb, their tiny little hands had been intertwined in a death lock. No one had been able to pry them open for three days, and Kisame had seen something when He was looking at them. It was another sort of vision.  
Only on had actually survived. That meant that one was keeping the other alive, somehow. It was the opposite of how it went in the Hoshigaki clan. Instead of one living and the other consuming it, they both lived. Kisame didn’t know how it worked and didn’t want to. But he knew that it couldn’t mean anything good for any of them. Anyways, Kisame didn’t feel as bad about killing Kazuki or Karasu, because they weren’t his kids- they were Kakashi’s. Even if they still came from Itachi, they were raised as the Hokage’s sons and loyal to the leaf. He would hate himself for it- but he would do it, if he had to. Shisui hadn’t met them yet, and as long as they were killed before she saw them and immediately imprinted on them (because Uchiha were Like That) the she wouldn’t know the difference. And it meant they all got to live.  
Kisame almost laughed at himself. It was times like this that he thought he understood his old partner best. People, if he even counted as a person at all- were much more scary when they had something to lose.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All input appreciated. Short chapter.


	4. And it comes slowly, so slowly

The next day, Izuna complained nonstop about not having enough sleep the night before. Kisame was also a little tired, just tired enough that he ended up snapping at Izuna about three times that morning. Shisui, somehow, never became annoyed by the complaining but simply ignored Izuna. This seemed to have more effect than Kisame’s more direct approach. The boy had started to sulk, but he was sulking quietly. Shisui and Ita were walking ahead of everyone, whispering to each other. This was generally a horrible sign. Yahiko was also eyeing them with suspicion, but Kisame honestly doubted he wasn’t in on whatever they were talking about. It was most likely some sort of means to piss of Kabuto. The man had somehow become their teacher, instead of the normal academy teachers in the Mist. Kisame sometimes doubted that judement, of letting someone like Kabuto anywhere near kids. Especially kids who were already predisposed to make morally dubious choices. But he had been a completely different person ever since Itachi had caught him under a genjutsu in order to stop his reincarnation jutsu. He had basically followed Itachi around at a distance after that. Kisame wouldn’t see him often, but it was clear he was there. He was conviend that one day, he was gonna follow Shisui like that to. She probably wouldn't like it, because she did semi respect him. But most likely it would happen so gradually and naturally, with Kabuto being a naturally submissive person, that she would never even realize it at all. Maybe just look back and wondered how he went from lecturing her to letting her lecture him. 

He had no doubt that this was why he was in the mist now. He felt the need to watch over Shisui and Izuna. Shisui, Yahiko, Ita, Izuna and Uzumaki as well as the two girls Shisui had found, Sei and Dei, all were in a class together. This was for a multitude of reasons- first, they were all at a skill level much greater than that of a normal academy student. If they went to a normal academy, they would be forced to graduate early and enter the ranks of genin. Honestly, the only one who could even be considered genin level (though high genin level) was Izuna. And he was 9. This wasn't war and Kisame was half convinced Itachi would have lived longer if he hadn't been chunin at 8, so there was no way he was letting Izuna or any of his kids be pushed through the ranks. Hell, Shisui could even be anbu at this point, and what an exceptionally bad idea that would be.  
Another reason for this was that most of them were traumatized to some degree and exceptional problem children. Shisui had sustained some intense psychological damage from her time with her older brother and his ultimate death by her hands. Which Izuna had watched. Izuna had been pretty young, though, so the impact wasn’t as clear. He recalled it only blurrily. The most profound effectit had on him was the eyes he had now- and a severe complex over his older sister. Yahiko seemed mostly functional, but he was still closed in a way that spoke of isolation for most of his life. Uzumaki was in a similar vote, and wasn’t coping as well as her older brother. In short, the two of them were very rude. Even his own son was a little different than most people. After all, he had spent a portion of his life raised by missing nin. Rough around the edges might be an understatement in his case. Sei and Dei had been orphans when Shisui had found them. None of them had much respect for authority besides Kisame, or would respond to authority besides him. They would smell the battle inexperience on normal academy teachers before a class could start, and Kisame was pretty sure that between the seven of them, they could take those academy teachers out. Thus, Kabuto. Since they did have experience with high level shinobi, they knew how to spot one, even if it was mostly subconscious recognition. So Kabuto remained mostly unquestioned. Sure, they tried to see just how much they got away with, but luckily he kept that to a minimum.

Finally, they couldn’t be out in the open. Three of them had special dojutsu, and they all had links to the akatsuki in someway, save Sei and Dei. (Sei and Dei were not actually called Sei and Dei, they were called Seikona and Dei. Kisame didn’t know what Dei meant.) But even then, they had taken a little to much interest in the group and started trying to figure some of the old jutsu, Seikona especially, being originally from the sand, had taken a lot of interest in Sasori. Truthfully, her attitude was so similar that is made him antsy. Kisame had never seen Sasori’s real face so he had no idea of her red hair and eyes were similar or not. But a lot of people in the sand had red hair, so there was no use stressing over it. As for Dei, he was glad that her appreciation for aesthetics extended beyond explosives, even if he still had to hear about it.   
So, all seven of them had ended up with Kabuto as a teacher. Shisui and Ita respected him a little, if only because they couldn’t manage to fool nearly as many times as they’d like. But since they were the ring leaders in most hare brained schemes, Kabuto managed to still be in one piece. Kisame was thankful, because he didn’t to find another partner.

The two of them were both members of the alliance, that is, the actual fighters of the alliance. That meant that they technically served all nations. And alliance members traveled in pairs. He had actually been the one to make that rule. He had been appointed as a leader within the ranks because off the fact that he had been the one to rat out Tobi’s plan to the great nations. Konan was also member since she conveniently appeared during the war and killed Tobi. No one really knew about her connection to the Akatsuki, so no one thought it might be a bad idea to put the two of them in charge. Kabuto was Kisame’s partner because people thought that someone powerful needed to keep an eye him. Kabuto was actually pretty tolerable, and the two of them were mostly on the same page. Though Kisame was pretty sure that this was because Kabuto was still under a Genjutsu, even now. It made him smile a bit, because sometimes it was like there was still a little bit of Itachi around in the man who ended up swearing his life to him. Secretly, Kisame thought that the reason Kabuto was content with Kisame making him become a school teacher with seven demon children was because Itachi would have wanted the best for all of them, Kisame included. It was a comforting thought to him, even if he didn’t quite believe himself on that one.

On another note, the crow from last night had yet to leave his shoulder. It was quite happy where it was and didn’t seem keen on moving anytime soon. He didn’t mind in the least. It would nuzzle his face from time to time and he could just feel himself getting softer by the minute. Shisui kept shooting him odd looks, and Ita was grinning at him knowingly. Afterall, Ita was named after his old partner so it would make sense that he had known him. Ita, however, had never told Shisui who her father actually was. Shisui hadn’t asked. Kisame knew that she wanted to hear it from him, not Ita, but he couldn’t bring himself to explain. She never payed attention in history class, so she had very little idea as to what Kisame’s life had been before her, mostly so he could fill her in himself. Again, she wanted to hear it from him if she heard it at all. He just hoped she would listen to Sasuke. If not, then he would have to try and explain himself to her on day. As it was, he might have to anyway. She wasn't going to be happy to learn that Kisame was giving the responsibility to explain over to Sasuke. Shisui might just wait her entire life to hear it from him, but that didn't fly. He wasn't going to keep the truth form her just because he was to much of a coward to tell her.

Konan had once made the comment that Shisui was like Sakura in that regard. She wanted a real explanation and would wait to get it, though Sakura had never been content to wait passively. She had been perhaps the most proactive of the three of them. She always pushed. He thought that maybe she was trying to make up for something, but he couldn’t understand for the life of him what that might be. She was always, always trying to improve, find answers, find something else. She had never been still. Shisui was a brutal mix of her tenacity and Itachi’s quiet cunning. But, unlike either of them, she also had a fair amount of patience which made her very, very dangerous. The only thing she had really picked up from him was his love for sharks and manners, but at least one of those things was manners. 

Uzumaki and Izuna, on the other hand. Currently they were arguing about something which Izuna had probably started. He was very good at that. And Uzumaki always fell for the bait. Right now, she was growling something about a slow death. Ita, Shisui and Yahiko were all at the back of the group now, whispering to each other and Kisame began to wonder of he was even going to make it to Konoha at all. The crow- still perched on his shoulder- made a chattering noise that sounded a little to much like laughter. He huffed. The other two would be laughing at him from beyond the grave right about now. Here he was, missing nin, swordsman of the mist, ex-akatsuki member, and glorified babysitter. Funny how that worked out. 

As it was, he didn’t have the energy to try and stop those two from fighting. He was pretty sure it was impossible anyways. And trying to stop whatever the others were scheming would take way to much energy for such a hot day. He already had too little energy as it was. Not only that, he could smell a thunderstorm coming. It smelled a lot like Sasuke. This didn’t improve his mood in the slightest. His son had also seemingly picked up on the impending storm, grinning up into the clouds in a perfectly feral way. He loved the chaos. Shisui frowned at him, clearly realizing why he was suddenly so happy. But she didn’t warn the others. Kisame didn’t like rain really, despite the mocking he had received from Sakura over this fact in the past. She always said that of all of them he should be the most used to it. But he wasn’t. Hatred of rain aside, he didn’t want to slow down his pace now. The rain always had a way of making the kids quieter, anyways. 

Sure enough, when thunder first shuddered through the sky, an eerie silence dropped over their group. The Uzumakis were pretty used to it, Ita loved it, and Izuna was impartial. But Shisui always stared up into the clouds like they had done something wrong, just like she has on the day he found her standing all alone, bloody and dirty. Now she was that same quiet. But this time, there were crows circling overhead as well. Izuna had an eye on them to, but she looked up at them like she knew exactly why they were there. Which she just might. Kisame found himself speeding up. There were so many things he couldn't tell her now, couldn't say. There were so many stories he couldn't bring himself to recount- not how Sasuke used to smell like death and ozone, or how his older brother was ash and blood. He wasn't able to convey how happy he was she was alive, or the pit in the bottom of his stomach at her perfect fire jutsu. He was never going to be able to say those things to her, not ever. Some days he felt entombed in that, that helpless attachment to the past. Those memories were things he held sacred and he felt that if he spoke them out loud, he might lose them, or have to admit that those things were well and truly gone. But Shisui, she never asked. And Ita already knew. He loved them so much for that, 

And also, now, he loved Sasuke for calling him out and promising to explain in his place. The wound was still fresh for him to, in a more raw way than Kisame could ever imagine. Kisame had always been so careful with his emotions, hidden behind his apathy and trauma. He was sure that Itachi had never even known the depth of the love he felt for him, not even in his last day. But Sasuke was genuine and pure. He never hid what he felt, he wore it on his sleeve and that was his great strength. He took his feeling and made them into knives. Kisame took his emotions and hid them where no one could find them. He was worried that the kids were picking this up from him. He didn't want them to ever be as callous as he had been, could still be. He wanted Sasuke to take all that away- even if that was a lot to ask from him. The fact was, Kisame could never do it himself.

**Author's Note:**

> Feedback is appreciated, just be nice about it. Also, all canon divergence will be explained later.


End file.
